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Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Casserole is an easy slow cooker dinner with chicken, enchilada sauce, tortillas, and cheese. A flavorful weeknight meal.
I absolutely love enchiladas but don’t always want to spend time rolling tortillas. This Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Casserole is the perfect solution. It has all the same flavors of classic enchiladas, layered together in an easy slow cooker meal.
The slow cooker does most of the work, letting the flavors come together while the chicken becomes perfectly tender. It’s the kind of simple, hearty dinner that’s perfect for busy weeknights, meal prep, or feeding a hungry family with just a few minutes work.
Ingredients You’ll Need
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- Chicken Breast – you could use chicken thighs as well
- Taco Seasoning – store bought or Homemade Taco Seasoning works great
- Enchilada Sauce – you need a 19oz can of store bought or about 2 1/2 cups Homemade Enchilada Sauce
- Black Beans – I always drain and rinse my canned beans
- Sour Cream – you can swap plain Greek yogurt
- Cheese – I use cheddar but a “Taco” Blend type cheese would work great as well
- Corn Tortillas
Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds chicken breasts
- 1 Tablespoon taco seasoning
- 19 oz enchilada sauce
- 15 oz black beans, drained
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 6-8 corn tortillas, cut into triangles
Instructions
- Season chicken with taco seasoning.1.5 pounds chicken breasts, 1 Tablespoon taco seasoning
- The the base of your slow cooker mix together enchilada sauce, black beans and sour cream until well combined.19 oz enchilada sauce, 15 oz black beans, 1/3 cup sour cream
- Nesle the chicken breasts into the sauce. Cover and cook on low for about 3 hours, until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
- Remove the chicken and use forks to shred.
- Add the chicken back to the crockpot with 1 cup of cheese and the tortilla pieces. Mix well to combine.1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, 6-8 corn tortillas
- Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 of cheese over the top. Cover and cook for 15-20 more minutes until the cheese is completely melted and the tortillas are soft.
- Serve with your favorite toppings.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How To Make Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Mix Sauce. In the base of your crockpot mix together the enchilada sauce, sour cream and black beans. You can leave out the sour cream if you want, I like the little bit of creaminess it gives, similar to my Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas.
- Add Chicken. Season the chicken with taco seasoning and nestle it down into the sauce.
- Cook. Cover and cook on low for 3 hours, the chicken should be cooked and tender and this point.
- Shred. Remove the chicken and use forks to shred. Then add it back to the sauce and mix to combine.
- Finish. Stir in the corn tortillas and shredded cheese. Cover and cook for another 15-20 minutes for the cheese to melt and the tortillas to soften.
- Serve. Scoop the mixture on to plates and top with your favorite taco toppings to serve.
Recipe Tips & Suggestions
- Slow Cooker. I like to cook chicken on low, it still cooks quickly, it will take about 3 hours with a modern day crockpot to fully cook the average chicken breast. On high, I think it cooks too quickly and dries out very fast. If you haven’t been a fan of chicken in the crockpot in the past, try cooking it for less time, trust me, it will change what you think about chicken.
- Enchilada Sauce. I used red sauce in this recipe, but you can absolutely swap that out. Homemade Green Enchilada Sauce makes for a great alternative to mix up the flavors.
- Beans. I used black beans for this, but you can use pinto beans, or leave them out. You can serve with Refried Beans on the side instead as well. You could also add corn if you wanted.
- Serving Suggestions. You can serve this as is, top with sour cream, avocado, cilantro or whatever your favorite taco toppings are. You can also you also serve over Cilantro Lime Rice or Mexican Rice. You could also leave out the tortillas and use the mixture as a taco or burrito filling, or put over tortilla chips for nachos. Lots of possibilities.
Yes, you can use ground beef. I would brown the ground beef, add taco seasoning like you normally do for taco meat. Then add to the sauce. The cook time will be shorter because you are just heating things through.
I think that flour tortillas give this a gummy and strange texture, so I don’t recommend it.
Storage
Store any leftover casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. You can reheat in the microwave to warm through, and then top with whatever toppings you like.
Freezing
This crockpot chicken enchilada casserole does work really well for a make ahead freezer meal. Let it cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let it thaw before reheating. I like to store in individual portions, to it can be a grab and go lunch.
